Nucleic acid sequencing technology has experienced rapid and massive advances over recent years. As compared to gel based separation methods where nested sets of terminated sequence extension products were interpreted visually by scientists, today's sequencing technologies produce enormous amounts of sequence data, allow illumination of never before sequenced genomes and genome regions, and provide throughput and costs that allow the widespread adoption of sequencing into routine biological research and diagnostics.
Droplet-based microfluidic techniques are becoming a popular method of preparing molecules for sequencing due to massive high-throughput, low reagent cost, and ease of preparation. However, droplet chemistry generates a complex mixture of chemicals and biological products that can impact the outcome of downstream applications. Therefore, there exists a need for improved methods of purifying molecules from droplets.